Blood and Roses
by fireflower297
Summary: After Isabelle's father loses his job, her life takes a whole new turn.
1. Prologue

It was a dark and stormy night in December, the pale moon hid behind her dark veil of clouds as Andrew Hughes locked the last remnants of his birthday party out. A mischievous grin curled at the corner of his mouth as he turned to walk back to his room. A light gust of wind blew past Andrew's ears as he passed a partially open window.

He entered the darkened room. "What a wonderful party, Andrew," came a voice from his bed. He flicked on the lights. On the bed, positioned like a model, lay his girlfriend Veronica, red hair streaming.

"Hey, babe," Andrew responded.

"You know that I don't like being called that," she pouted, throwing a pillow at his head. Andrew ducked.

"Sorry V, but you are one and I love that."

Veronica rolled her eyes, "That's probably all you like about me! Okay, you pay no attention to the heart. Someone could be heartless and cruel, yet you'd never notice. You would only notice how beautiful or how disfigured they are."

"Come on Veronica, you know that's not true," Andrew insisted.

Veronica produced a pocketknife from her bra and pointed it at him, "You know it is."

Andrew put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, maybe it is. Who knows maybe I'll change." Veronica brought up the knife and slashed it across his nose. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, putting his hand up to ebb the flow.

"Andrew."

"Yeah?"

"You currently have a chemical coursing through your veins that will cause immediate hair growth. Every night from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am you'll look like your dashing self. However, for the rest of the day, you'll be hairy and scarred."

"Veronica, is there no hope for me?"

"Everyone has hope, even that ninth grader you made fun of the other day."

"What hope do I have?" Andrew asked sadly.

"You'll learn in time." Veronica turned back to face him, "By the way, what did you call her?"

"Ears," he said.

"Hmm, maybe you'll see her again," with that, Veronica disappeared. The moon, by now, had escaped her veil. Noting it, Andrew let out a scream of anguish that rang through the streets of New York.


	2. Meet the Family

The loss of my family's fortune came as a shock to everyone we were "friends" with. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Isabelle Allison Jeanes, I'm 16 years old, and according to my little sisters, "the most embarrassing older sister ever."

Now then, back to the story. Since we lost almost everything, we had to start over from scratch. This included: moving to a little town full of farmers in upstate New York, going to public school for the first time in my life, and learning how to do a lot of household chores. (Hopefully my mom would help me with the latter though.)

There was only one good thing about our new neighborhood, the library. It was a large building, only about two blocks from our new house, and filled with almost every type of book and movie imaginable! The librarian, Mrs. Lee, was a petite lady who despite her old age had read almost every book on the shelves, including some of the modern books for young adults. Almost every day, after school had finished, I would go there to study and read.

One bright and sunny morning, about a week after we arrived is when my story picks up. I was on my way to school and had stopped by the library for a new book. I headed to a section of older books that contained my favorite story, _Bearskin_. I took out a well-worn copy of _Grimm's Fairy Tales _and headed towards the register.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lee," Mrs. Lee looked up from her newest book and shut a tattered bookmark on her page. I looked at the cover, it had a swirl of water droplets on a blue background and was emblazoned with, _The Power of Six, _by Pittacus Lore.

"Ah. Belle, it's lovely to see you today dear," she said cheerfully, "How may I help you?" I handed her the tattered book and her laugh tinkled like a bell. "Belle, if you love this book so much, I'll make you a deal. I'll sell you this old, tattered book for a penny."

I grinned and pulled a penny out of my wallet, "Thank you, ma'am. It will be in good hands."

"I know."

I then turned and walked out into the bright sunshine, leaving Mrs. Lee with her book, with a spring in my step and I hurried to school. But when I got there, my happiness quickly disappeared.

Leaning against my locker was Geoffrey Grundy, one of the world's biggest jerks. The worst part was that he had been bothering me this ENTIRE past week to go out with him.

"Hello, Beautiful," he said in a voice that he must have thought made him more appealing. I rolled my eyes and pushed him aside to get my books. When I turned around, I found myself staring at his chest (which I did NOT want to see, thank you very much.)

He pulled the top book off of my stack and looked the title, "_Grimm's Fairy Tales_? I can't believe that a pretty young lady like yourself would read this crap!"

I blushed furiously, "I didn't know that you could read AT ALL, Grundy." Geoffrey's face grew furious and I prepared for him to slap me, but it never came.

He threw the book into the trash and strutted away. I rushed to see if I could retrieve it. The book had landed in a pile of leftovers. I gingerly reached in to pull out the book that was now submersed in spaghetti. I moped for the rest of the day and didn't stop until I got home.

"Cookie, Izzy?" I looked down to see my little sister, Hailey, pulling on the sleeve of my blazer and holding out a chocolate chip cookie.

"Thanks, Hailey," I said and smiled. She had quickly picked up in her short life that I could always be won over by the gooey treat.

My mom entered the hallway and smiled, showing off brilliant white that she had learned that she needed in her days as an actress.

"Hello, dear. How was school?" she asked patiently.

'Great,' I thought sarcastically, 'everyone made fun of me, again.' But I couldn't say that to my mom, "Fine."

"A boy in your class called. I think his name might have Geoffrey or something like that."

I groaned and trudged upstairs to my comforting room, where surrounded by soft shades of blue and green, I could actually relax. I pulled out my phone and checked my inbox. Noticing a message from Dad, I opened it and read aloud, "Need help with invention, come downstairs."

Of course! I had completely forgotten to go and help him with his new contraption that he was hoping would put us back in New York City. I made my way back downstairs and soon heard the familiar bangs and screeches that came from his workshop/garage.

It was like weaving my way through a bamboo forest to even attempt to find him amidst all of the clutter. Finally, near to the garage door, I found him crying over the sight of of his GPS tracker (which allowed you to follow the movements of a certain GPS that you have created a specific username and a password for) lying on the ground. I rushed worriedly to him, "Dad, is everything alright?"

"I-it b-broke," he said in a tremulous voice.

"Don't worry, it can probably be fixed," I picked it up. "It doesn't appear to be damaged on the outside, let's check it." Dad pulled out a bandanna and mopped up the sweat and tears covering his face. Taking the device from my hands, he pressed a button on its side. Out rang the familiar _beep _of the connected GPS.

"It works!" I yelled excitedly.

Dad looked at me and smiled, "Would you like to help me get ready for my trip, Issa?"

I smiled at his pet name for me and said, "Sure, Dad."

"Thank you, Issa."

My sisters Hailey and Kate, as well as my mom came out to help out.

"Girls, remember to listen to your mother, do your chores, and be polite.

"Dad! Don't forget the GPS!" I told him.

"Of course Issa!" He gave each of us a kiss and hopped in his truck, "When I get back, I'll be a millionaire!"

This was a touching thing to all of us. However, I didn't know then that it would be a very long time until all five of us would be together again.


	3. If You Call A Dump Truck a Rose

A week went by with no sign of my dad. Mother called everyone she knew (and that was A LOT of people) to help find him. Everything seemed absolutely hopeless.

"Miss Jeanes, as I told you before, your father arrived on time one week ago. He left healthy, wealthy, and happy four days ago. I haven't seen him since," said the manager of the Inventors and Engineers Inc. Fair over the phone. I also had gone searching, trying to figure where Dad was. Unfortunately Geoffrey Grundy was looking for me. The week of the homecoming dance was upon us and Grundy was trying harder than ever to get me to go with him.

I'll do anything, just go with me," Grundy pleaded in front of the library one day.

"One word, N-O."

"Come on, you know you want to."

"I most certainly do not. GO AWAY!" I slid open the door he was leaning on, causing him to land with a loud _bonk_ on the hard dirt. He trudged off, glaring at me as went. I walked home, frustrated. I turned into the garage, hoping to find a clue to the GPS' username and password. While looking at a picture of the family, it came to me. I quickly typed in "caseworker" and "IKH." Soon, the screen showed a blinking green dot between New York City and Buffalo.

My phone vibrated against my leg, sending a tingling shock up my whole body. Flipping it open I immediately noticed that the message was from Dad. "Help! Lost! GPS! Monster!" What was going on? None of the words made any sense to me, but I decided to go with my gut, which felt a little queasy.

I rushed upstairs to the kitchen where Mom was weeping into her bowl of soup, "Mom, I have an idea on how to find Dad. May I go out and look for him?"

Mom looked up from her tissue with a sob, "How long will you be gone? I don't want to lose both of you."

"I don't know, a few days at most."

"Then remember to bring clean clothes and toiletries, especially your retainer."

"I will. I'm going to take my bike."

"Remember your helmet and jacket then."

I rushed to my room, I was known as the queen of quick packing in this house and it was for good reason. I pulled a duffel bag out from under my bed and shoved in some clean clothes, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, AND my retainer. I pulled out my wallet and stuffed it in as well, in case I may have to stay overnight in a motel. As an afterthought, I added my book of fairytales and a picture of my family in happier days.

Kissing my twelve year old sister Kate and my ten year old sister Hailey goodbye brought tears to my eyes for some reason. I then headed out into the great unknown with just a GPS and a GPS Tracker to find him. My bright yellow jacket reflected the lights of the farmhouse as I walked out to my motorcycle.

I strapped on my helmet, put my duffel in the trunk, and mounted the bike. It was a fairly new, Honda Gold Wing GL 1800 that my dad had gotten me for my 16th birthday, almost a year ago now. I headed out, humming 'On the Road Again' to myself over and over.

The warm, afternoon sun shone high overhead as I whizzed down the highway. I finally spotted a sign advertising a motel and slowed down. It took quite a bit of string pulling to acquire a room for an unaccompanied minor, but everything turned out all right in the end.

The sky was turning a deep purple as I walked into the shabby motel room that cost a mere fifty dollars. The carpet was a thick shag, that reeked of past years and past occupants. I carefully crawled into bed and fell asleep to the sound of the nearby highway.

The sun gently streamed through the window as I awoke to the busy ringing of my phone's alarm clock. I sat up and got ready for another day on the road as quickly as possible. I coiled my hair in a braid that easily fit under my helmet and got dressed.

I dropped off my key and ate a quick snack of granola and apples before heading back out on the busy highway once more. The precise signals of the GPS Tracker guided me throughout the humid day that my ragged jeans and thin orange t-shirt offered little protection from. As the day winded down, I found the signal getting stronger and stronger.

The lights of a mansion came out of the sudden gloom. I pulled up beside a pile of refuse and spotted a rapidly blinking red light, a light that only could have come from Dad's GPS as it was buried in the rich pile of dirt. I brushed off the dirt and put it in the trunk of my motorcycle.

My stomach dropped as I finally came to the conclusion that Dad was probably trapped in the mansion. I found a key under a pedestal in one of two niches of either side of the door. The door opened soundlessly and I walked timidly inside.


	4. A Brief Meeting

I stopped short. What was I doing here? Here, in this mansion that should be full of socialite snobs, not a teenage girl in ratty jeans and motorcycle boots.

I headed towards an open door that led down into subterranean darkness. The beam of my flashlight swept back and forth in front of me. It finally traveled across the face of my father. He looked pale, tired, and infuriated. I gently shook him awake.

"Argh! Stay away from me, monster!" he shouted in my face.

Taken aback, I spoke as gently as I could, "Dad, it's me. It's Issa."

His face relaxed momentarily, "Issa, I-," his face was suddenly once more infuriated, "You monster! How dare you lock me up!"

My flashlight was knocked out of my hand as I turned to see the cause of Dad's rage. A new voice, smooth as syrup joined us out of the dark, "It was for your own good."

I was in shock, "If it was for his own good, how come you locked him in the basement?"

"It's none of your business, KID."

I rose furiously from my position on the floor. "I'm no 'kid'," I spat furiously, "I am sixteen years old and you are not going to get away with this."

"Really? Well, you don't look a day over twelve if you ask me!"

"You are a BEAST!" I shouted at him, putting my fists up in preparation for a fight.

He chuckled deeply, "Well now, you'd think I'd already know that!"

He stepped into the sliver of moonlight coming from the window. Thick, golden blond fur covered his entire, otherwise human body. Talon-like claws took the place of fingernails, he really WAS a beast.

He seemed to have come awkwardly and unpreparedly in a t-shirt and what appeared to be his boxers. I blushed ashamedly at the sight, "Please, let my dad go. My mom is really worried about him and he is the sole breadwinner of our family."

The beast hesitated for a moment, "What will you leave me in his place?"

"Me, I'll stay."

"Issa, no!" Dad shouted.

"You would stay?" the Beast asked, his eyes softening.

I looked sadly at Dad, "Dad, can't you see that there is no other way? I have to stay. Now then, when you get home, be sure to take good care of Mom, Kate, and Hailey." He nodded solemnly, trying to blink back the tears in his eyes.

"Sir, would you like me to have a servant get your car out of the garage for you?" the Beast inquired.

"No, I'll do it myself!" he said defiantly, then he added in a softer tone to me, "I love you Isabelle."

"I love you too. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, dear," then with a final kiss and a hug, he turned and fled upstairs towards freedom.

"Miss," I turned to look at the beast, who was holding out his arm for me to take, "what shall I call you?"

I laughed at that. Here was a beast, in boxers no less, attempting to behave like a gentleMAN.

"You may choose what you call me, but I will not stand being called 'beautiful', 'brain', or 'elf.'"

"How about Beauty?"

"No, that is practically the same as beautiful."

"But it is true."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh well, pick something else."

"Can I call you Rose?"

"No. Then it sounds like I'm that girl from 'Doctor Who'!"

"That is one great show!"

"I don't care, I found that girl annoying, especially when she was taken over by the skin lady."

"Fine, can I call you Belle?"

"Yes, you can call me that."

He held out his arm once more, but I declined, "Come with me, Belle. let's get you a proper bedroom." He led me through a maze of passages to room that must have at one point been the master suite.

"This is beautiful, Beast," I said, gesturing to an ornate blue and gold mask hanging within a display case.

He smiled for a change and responded happily, "Ah, yes. My mother wore that to a dance when she was a teenager."

"You have a mother?" This was a surprising turn of events to me, who felt it impossible that a beast could have a mother.

"Correction, I had a mother. She died when I was ten."

A well of sadness bubbled up in me, "I'm so sorry for your loss. Is your father alive?" I was met with a silence that I took for a 'no.'

"I'll be in my room, Belle. However don't come in, it's an unbelievable mess. Dinner will be ready shortly. If you need anything before then, call for one of the servants and they'll help you out."

I stared at the door that the Beast had left through and sat down on the large, king sized bed. _Why did I go through with this reckless and hopeless endeavor?_ I sighed and went to the phone that sat on the desk. Beside it was a guide to TV channels and phone numbers, as you might see in a hotel. I punched in the kitchen number and waited.

"Yes, miss. What do you want?" I spun around to see a large woman in an apron come in with a tray full of tea things occupying her hands.

"May I have a cup of tea?"

"Of course! What kind would you like?"

"Peppermint, if you have it, please. It will calm my stomach."

"I know what you mean. Thank you miss, for staying with us. It gets lonely here, without very many young people. Excuse me, I forgot my manners. My name is Mrs. Cartwright, I'm the housekeeper. What's you name miss?"

I looked up from the cup in my hands, "I'm Isabelle, Isabelle Jeanes ma'am."

"Oh! Do you know Richard Jeanes?"

I giggled, "He's my dad."

"Ah! I knew him in high school. He was the most adorable little nerd!"

"Well, you already missed him. He left about thirty minutes ago."

Mrs. Cartwright looked sadly at me, "I know. It was a very brave thing you did there, taking his place." She took my cup, "Dinner will be ready in about ten more minutes. I'll send Talia to help you get ready." The door closed behind her and I was alone. All of a sudden, a young woman of about twenty-five came in, carting in with her a suitcase that probably held all sorts of makeup.

"Hi, I'm Talia," she said in a calm voice, "Mrs. C. said I'm supposed to help you get ready for dinner." I nodded. "Fabulous." She got to work on my face, adding little touches here and there that could only be done by a professional.

"What dress should we put you in? Perhaps this purple one?" she said, pulling a gauzy purple gown out of the large closet full of designer clothing. At my apparent look of displeasure, she instead pulled out a skirt and a light blouse. I pulled them on and instantly relaxed. Talia smiled, "Much better, huh?"

"Yes, I would feel overdone with a gown on."

"Do you want to see the final result?"

"Yes," I breathed. Staring back at me was a completely different person. My eyes were surrounded by mahogany, a creamy bone, and a sandy brown. My lashes were long, untangled, and a glossy black. Long, loose curls framed my face.

"You look like Aunt Cynthia," Talia bursted out. _Who on earth was that?_

"It's beautiful! Thank you so much Talia!"

Talia smiled and waved off the compliment, "I'll leave now, remember to tell me all about dinner!" And with that, she was gone, and I was alone once more.

A/N- The mask and Talia blurting out about Aunt Cynthia are a reference to a story I am currently writing that is connected to this.


	5. Bon Appetit!

After a few more minutes, there was a knock on the door. "Miss Isabelle, dinner is served,' I opened the door to a rather red-faced man in a dark suit. Taking me by the arm, he led me through many passages crowded with artwork, to a heavy wooden door carved with flora and fauna. he pushed it open to reveal an elegant dinning hall, that carried over the door's nature motif.

"Thank you, Cartwright," said the Beast's voice from a shadowed part of the hall. I turned to look more closely, sitting at the head of the table was the Beast. He had changed into a deep indigo colored suit and tie. This combination was quite striking against his fur and it took quite a while to stop staring.

Throughout the course of the meal, Louis the Butler and Marie the Maid, who were supposed to be serving us, kept flirting with each other. I could tell that this bothered both myself and the Beast and so decided to make an end to it.

"You two, stop flirting and starting and start serving!" I yelled shrilly at them. They flinched. I suppose they frequently heard that from the Beast.

"Thank you," the Beast mumbled.

"No problem. Now then, you have a name for me, but I don't have a name for you. What should I call you?"

"Uh," the Beast thought for a while, "You can just call me 'Beast.' I'll tell you my real name when I feel you are ready to hear it."

I sighed, _why would anyone _**want**_ to be called 'Beast?'_ The rest of dinner was very _relaxed, _the Beast would at times explain what there was to do in the mansion and on the grounds.

"I'll have your motorcycle put in the garage, where it won't rust. I suppose you'll want your stuff out of it. You'll be allowed to ride it on the grounds, but be careful, its kind of rocky."

"Have you ever ridden?"

"What? Ridden a motorcycle? Yeah, I used to, when I didn't look like this. I still have my bike if you wanna see it."

"Really? When can I check it out?"

"Tomorrow. I forgot to mention earlier that we have an indoor pool in the dome."

"What's the dome?"

"Our sports area- it's indoors, so no one will get hit by lightning or anything like that."

"Good to know. Beast, when do they usually bring out dessert?" I suddenly asked on a very different note.

"What? Oh, about now."

Right on cue, Marie and Louis came out a door by the fireplace, pushing carts of desserts in front of them. There were all different kinds of cakes, ice cream, sherbert, cookies, and pies. I chose a small lemon sherbert, a thin slice of chocolate pie, and a thin slice of cinnamon swirl cake. I tore into them, savoring every bite.

Some time later, I had gone back to my room and was thinking about the delicious food I had just eaten, when a sudden thought blossomed in my head. _Where had the beast disappeared to after dinner?_ Figuring no one would like me to go wandering the mansion at night, I made up my mind to ask him about it at breakfast.

A/N-I have had some of the foods in this scene. Fiorino in Philadelphia makes delicious Italian lemon sherbert that's in actual lemons! I have made the cinnamon swirl cake, its a German recipe that you make in a Bundt cake pan, DELICIOUS. I think I had the pie in Kindergarten.

Sorry for the ramble, please comment with ideas on who should play Isabelle and various other characters, like the adults and kids in the town.

I'm also still looking for a cover.


	6. A Night Intruder

Sleep came easily to me. The past two days sitting on the hard seat of the motorcycle had been stressful and tiresome. Now, I could dream peacefully, without a care in the world. Into my dreams of springtime picnics and butterflies came a loud banging noise. I jerked awake and pulled the sheets closer to my shivering body. Through the window came a dark shape and I screamed in fright.

"Shut up! Do you want to get in trouble?" asked a masculine voice. I leaped up to turn on the light, wrapping a blanket around me so that I wouldn't show anything I wouldn't want him to see. A young man about 19 or 20 years old was partway through the window.

"Why are you using my window to sneak in?" I asked in a frustrated voice, "You're disturbing my sleep."

"Sorry, but you had the only open window. I was locked out after taking a hike in the woods. You see, I finished my chores very quickly after dinner and..."

I lifted an eyebrow, "Okay, okay. I get it. But if you work here, shouldn't you have a key?"

"Well, someone moved it from its usual spot by the servants' entrance."

I gulped, "Sorry, that was probably my fault. I used a key from there to get in today." I dug around for the jeans I had worn today. I found them crumpled in a ball under the bed, their bottoms caked with mud. I pulled the key out of my pocket and handed it to him.

"So, newbie. What's your name?" he asked.

"Izzy, "I said, giving him Hailey's nickname for me. He wouldn't know the difference.

"Do you like your room?"

"It's nice. What do you care?"

"I clean it every week."

"So who are you and what else do you do around here?"

"My name is Andy. I work in the uh... kennels," he said as if he didn't know.

"Maybe I'll visit you there."

"You don't want to do that! I mean the master would get upset."

"Oh, by 'master', do you mean the Beast?"

"Yup! That's the one!" looking at the watch on his arm, he said, "I'm sorry Izzy, but I need to get to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Andy." Never did the thought cross my mind to look more closely at his face as he left the room as quietly as a cat.

It took awhile for me to go back to sleep. Once I had, my dreams were filled with nightmares of the Beast attacking me. In one dream, Andy appeared out of the blue to save me, but died in the process. It made no sense to me, why would a guy who I barely knew try to save me from certain death. Then came a knock on my door and I woke up.


	7. Chapter Six

Talia's voice traveled through the door, "Belle? Are you awake? May I come in?"

"Come on in, Talia," I said and sat up in bed.

"So, how was your evening?" she flopped down in the desk chair and stared at me intently.

"Pretty good. After you left, Mr. Cartwright showed me to dinner. During dinner, Marie and Louis kept flirting so I told them to stop. The Beast thanked me for that and told me what there is to do around here. Then, I went to bed and was woken up around midnight by someone sneaking in through my window. I went back to bed after he left and just woke up a few minutes ago. Why did you want to know?"

"Don't laugh"

"I won't."

"The Beast is my cousin. Who tried to sneak in your window?"

"Andy Something-or-other, he said that he works in the kennels."

"He would say that. He's always pulling stunts like that to get back inside the house."

"Like what?"

"Sneaking in because he left his key somewhere and can't find it."

"Oh, is it true that he cleans my room once a week?"

"Yeah. He cleans it of artwork and puts the artwork in h-Beast's gallery."

"Why does he put it in Beast's gallery?"

"Because it's the Beast's artwork of course!" Next, Talia helped me find clothes for the day ahead and explained to me that the Beast wouldn't be joining me for breakfast, but would be meeting me later at the dome.

"Talia, where's the dome?"

"Near here, I'll show you where if you like. Guess what? I hear that Andy likes to go swimming before breakfast. Do you wanna watch?"

I smiled mischievously, "I wouldn't miss it." I got dressed and followed her to the dome. The sheer size of it was awe inspiring. There was a swimming pool, a basketball court, a batting range, and loads of exercise equipment.

I spotted a lone figure in the pool and called out, "Hey! Andy, is that you?" I saw only his profile of a square jaw and crooked nose before he swam to the far side of the pool and started running towards the door leading outside.

"Come on, does he always do that?" I asked Talia, clearly annoyed.

"No, he's usually not so shy about girls."

"Why do you think he's acting like that?"

"I don't know. He probably thinks that you're cute and doesn't want you to see his ugly face."

"'Is he REALLY ugly?"

"It's a matter of opinion, really. He thinks he is. Fun guy to know though. He can make anyone laugh at any time."

"Do you like him?"

"Of course NOT!"

My stomach growled, "Talia, when did you say breakfast would be ready? I'm starving."

She led me back to the same dining hall as last night and I sat at one of two settings laid out, "Tal, didn't you say that the Beast wasn't coming to breakfast?"

"Yeah, I did. Maybe he changed his mind or something like that."

"I did change my mind. Good morning Tal. Good morning Belle. You two look rather sleepy this morning. Belle, Andy told me about the key, don't worry about it. I think he **may** have the hots for you."

I gaped, wide-eyed at the Beast. _What would a beast know about love?_ "Um, Beast. Are you sure about that? He ran from me today."

"I may be a beast, but I know what I'm talking about. Don't question Beasty!"

"Beasty? Come on cos, I know you can do better than that!" said Talia in a questioning tone.

"No questions, Tal, remember?"

"Sorry," she said as she put up her hands in surrender.

Then I remembered the question in my head from last night. "Beast," he looked up, "where did you go last night after dinner?"

"I-uh went to get your bike and to put it in the garage."

"Really? We'll just see about that," I had been formulating a plan in my head to get to the garage before him and to see whether or not there was extra dirt on it. Breakfast finished quickly and both myself and the Beast leaped up simultaneously. _No way! He couldn't be doing this! _"Beast," I said in a sweet voice, "would you care to show me to the garage?"

"Of course Belle! I would be delighted to." He led me to a smaller building on the edge of the forest covering the grounds. Inside the doors lay a large assortment of expensive cars, motorcycles, and ATVs. In the corner sat two less-expensive motorcycles, including mine, which was polished and shiny, and a mud, leaf, and stick strewn one.

"Who's bike is that?" I asked, pointing at the latter.

"It's mine. I kind of tried to ride it last night, which is why it's all dirty."

"I don't believe you."

"It's true, I just have Talia clip my nails beforehand."

"Do you like having her as a cousin?"

"Sure. She makes up for the rest of my family disappearing into thin air."

"Disappearing?"

"Yeah, they were so frightened by my appearance that they fled all over the world. I guess that they thought I would eat them up. Talia was the only one who stayed behind."

"I'm so sorry, Beast."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's get your stuff and go." I unlocked the trunk and grabbed my duffel and the GPS accessories. I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked out into the green-dappled trees. The next moment, I was suddenly falling into bleak darkness.


	8. Recovery and A Very Happy Birthday

"Andy, what happened?" Talia's voice rang sharply in my head.

"Tal, be quiet. I think she's waking up." _What was going on here?_ "I simply turned for a moment and when I turned back, she had a huge bump rising on her forehead and was lying on the forest floor. I tried to get her here as quickly as possible."

"Hopefully you didn't shred the upholstery."

I opened my eyes and tried to slowly get up from where I was lying. Soft down pillows cradled me and there was a compress on my forehead. "What's going on?" I asked in a shaky voice. Talia and Beast looked up from where they were talking.

"What's your full name?" the Beast asked me.

"Isabelle Allison Jeanes, of course," I responded coldly.

"Good. Hopefully you don't have a concussion. However, you do have a very large bump on your head."

"What happened?"

"We don't know."

For many weeks I was confined to my room; so as to not worsen my health. The Beast came the most, eating with me, asking about my family, and about other parts of my life in general. In return for my stories, he would bring pieces of artwork to my room and explain them to me.

"Well, Beast. My family just moved to upstate New York from New York City. This kid in my class thinks he's the bees knees and keeps trying to get me to go out with him, its disgusting! I don't fit in anywhere, it gets quite lonely at times because the media makes it look like introverts are boring people with nothing to do. My sisters are Kate and Hailey. I think Hailey will become a baker when she's older, she makes the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever and she is only ten years old. Kate is twelve years old and is very good at mediating between two opposing sides. My mom used to be an actress before we moved upstate. My dad, Richard, is an inventor. He was on his way back from an inventors' fair when you caught up with one another. Why did you say that locking him away was for his own good?"

The Beast turned away, "It's not the best time to discuss this, alright."

One week, Beast had something besides a painting to show me. It was a book, Cinderella's Mask by George and Cynthia Hughes and it detailed how they met and fell in love during their senior year of high school. I poured over it, finishing the day before I was let out of my room.

It was a cool, late November morning that happened to be one of my favorite days of the year, my birthday. "Talia, get in here!"I yelled into the phone. If anyone needed to know that today was my birthday, it was Talia. She stumbled in, groggy-eyed and unkempt.

"What's going on?" she mumbled, trying to keep her head up.

"What's today?"

"I don't know, the twenty-ninth?"

"What else is it?"

"C.S. Lewis' birthday?"

"Really? That is so cool because it's my birthday too!"

"Really?" Talia's face lit up, "I've got to give you a complete makeover!" She got to work: dying my hair, doing my makeup, and making the perfect dress. My hair was now a rich chocolatey color with dark caramel highlights. My makeup was flawless. To top it all off was the breathtaking dress.

It was BEAUTIFUL! The bodice was a lovely shade of royal blue silk, the skirt was the same silk with an overlay of black lace, black tulle sat underneath the skirt and gave it a vintage vibe, and a sash of white satin sat just just beneath my ribcage. As a finishing touch, a matching white ribbon held up my ponytail of loose curls.

"Tal, you are a miracle worker! I can't believe you made this in an hour!"

"Next year, tell me beforehand so I have more time to make it."

I saluted her, "Yes, ma'am," I giggled. I pranced down to breakfast, exhilarated by the idea of having a wonderful rest of the day. I entered the dining room and was surprised to find the Beast already sitting._ Maybe he wants to celebrate with me!_ Beast's eyes widened when I walked in.

"Who are you and what have you done to Belle?" he asked playfully. I punched in the arm and my knuckles hit strong muscles.

"Beast, it's me! It's Belle." He twirled his finger in a circle and I spun around.

"I suppose you'll do," he chuckled. "What on earth did you do to your hair?"

"I dyed it. Why? Don't you like it?"

"Yeah, but it came as a bit of a shock. What's the special occasion?"

"I'm now 17!"

"Really? Happy Birthday!" he said and called out the kitchen staff, who all sang to me. For breakfast I had: a pile of delicious chocolate chip pancakes, a fried egg, sausages, and a mug of peppermint hot chocolate. Afterwards, the Beast showed me to a place where I was certain to not hit my head- the greenhouse.

Multi-hued roses shot out of the earth all around me here. The Beast handed me an apron and a pair of pruning shears and said, "Let's get to work."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, awkwardly holding the shears with both hands.

"Sorry 'bout that," and he went on to explain what to do and how to do it. After the first snip of the clippers, I was hooked. At lunchtime, we had a picnic in amongst all of the roses. It felt like spring in the greenhouse and I was glad that my dress was sleeveless. We worked until dinnertime and rarely stopped along the way. Cuts came to work themselves up my arms like climbing roses and my skin was warming up from the sunshine.

We stepped into the late afternoon chill. My teeth chattered loud enough for the Beast to hear and he placed an arm around my shoulders. His soft fur comforted me and gave me a makeshift sweater.

We stepped back inside the mansion and my jaw dropped to the floor. Everything sparkled like new, like diamonds in the sun. "Beast, is this your doing?" I asked, curious. The Beast smiled mysteriously, as if to say, 'If it was, I wouldn't tell.'

"My lady, dinner is served," he said, ever the gentleman. I took his arm and followed him to our normal dining hall, where there lay a sumptuous meal.

The rest of the evening passed by like a dream. I slipped into my pajamas and was about to go to bed when I heard a knock on the window. "Izzy, are you up?" came the slightly muffled voice of Andy through the glass. I walked over and opened the window.

"Andy, is that you?" I asked the shadowed face. "Did you lose your key again?"

"No, I just wanted to give you a birthday gift."

"How did you know?"

"Beast told me. How do you like being 17?"

"It's great."

Andy shifted on his ladder and brought out a gift from behind him. "Here," he said, handing it to me, "I gotta go Izzy. Have a good night." He climbed down the ladder, smiling as he went.

"Bye, Andy! I hope to see you soon!" I called out after the silhouette. I looked down at the gift in my hand and tore open the wrapping. Inside lay a small notebook. Smiling, I put it on my bedside table before saying my prayers and crawling into bed to fall gently asleep.


	9. Dreams

In my dreams, I saw faces. I'm of the opinion that my subconscious was playing detective, trying to piece together Andy's face from what I knew of him. I had heard that he didn't consider himself to be the most attractive man in town, but that was a matter of opinion.

Who knew what he looked like? It seemed that Talia did, but it also seemed that she had known him when he was a little kid. I tried to imagine his face: eyes of an indeterminate color, a crooked nose, a cute smile that gleamed when the light hit it, and a VERY strong jawline.

In each and every dream, Andy passionately told me about himself: his dreams, his fears, his love. Nothing would escape his notice. One day, Andy would place me on a gentle mare and we would ride off into the sunset together. But..._ beep, beep, beep_... the alarm clock went off at eight, disturbing my fantasies of the man I barely knew.

_Knock... knock... knock._ I carefully got out of bed and put on my bathrobe. _Knock... knock... knock, _came the knocking once again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said, pulling open the door. In toppled the Beast, embarrassed expression on his face. He looked up and I wrapped my robe around me tighter. "What's up Beast?" I asked him.

"I, uh, wanted to show you something," he stammered. "You should probably change first, though."

I raised an eyebrow, "Alright, scram. And remember, no peeking."

I sent him back out and changed into jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. At various points while changing, I felt like someone was staring at me, but quickly brushed it off. I opened the door, to see the Beast in different clothes.

"Beast, what was wrong with what you were wearing earlier?"

"I wore it to bed." He had changed out of a plain white shirt and gray sweats into dark-wash jeans and a striped shirt. He may have been covered in fur, but he WAS good-looking, I cannot deny that. "I'd like to show you the gallery, Belle."

"Is the gallery that I heard tell of from Tal this same one?"

"Probably." The hallways we traveled through became more and more cluttered with artwork. Finally, we stopped beside a roughly hewn wooden door. The Beast pushed it open and pulled me inside.

"Whoa!" There were portraits everywhere. Every square inch had part of a painting on it. "Did I hear correctly that you did all of these?"

"Yeah," he said, suddenly becoming quite interested in his shoes.

"They're beautiful," I said, lifting his chin to look in his eyes. His fur glowed slightly crimson. "What's your most recent one?"

He pointed towards the far corner, where an easel sat with canvas on it. The subjects appeared to be arguing. The character in the foreground's hands were spread and his green eyes shone with concentration. The background's character had a furrowed brow and appeared to be in denial about what the foreground character had said.

"Belle?"

"Yes?" I asked, looking up from studying the work.

"Can I paint you? You look so much like my mother and..."

"Of course."

"Thank you!" he exclaimed with joy.

"Beast? You never showed me a picture of your mothe."

"I'll show you when we return to your room."

"Okay," I wanted to grip his hand. I wanted to hold it and never stop. But what was I thinking? I didn't even like him, or did I?


End file.
